Joe Thomas, Drew Brees held out of Browns-Saints preseason game

Saints quarterback Drew Brees warms up before the Saints played the Browns on Aug. 10 at FirstEnergy Stadium. Brees was among several headliners who were not scheduled to play in the game.
Ron Schwane — The Associated Press

Between them, Joe Thomas and Drew Brees have made 20 Pro Bowl appearance.

That’s 10 each for the Browns offensive left tackle and New Orleans Saints quarterback.

If it was a the regular season and the Browns were hosting the Saints, plenty of attention would be paid to two of best players at their positions in NFL history.

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But when the Saints came marching into FirstEnergy Stadium on Aug. 10 to face the Browns in the preseason opener for both teams, Brees and Thomas were given the night off by their coaches.

It’s the right move in the long run for Thomas, 32, and in is 11th season, and Brees, 38, and in his 17th NBA season. Neither of these veterans have anything to prove and are gearing to be ready for the start of the regular season.

The Browns host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 10. Thomas is set to make the 181st straight start of his career that day. He’ll also be looking to extend his NFL-record streak of 9,934 consecutive offensive snaps played.

Brees and the Saints will be in Minneapolis on Sept. 11 to face the Vikings in the first regular-season installment of “Monday Night Football.”

The former Purdue standout and two-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year left the San Diego Chargers as a free agent in 2006 and signed on with the Saints. He has thrown for 66,111 yards and 465 TDs in his career.

Brees and Thomas had company on the sidelines on a warm evening at the lakefront stadium.

New Orleans also held out veteran running backs Adrian Peterson and Mark Ingram.

Peterson signed with the Saints as a free agent in April after 10 seasons with the Vikings. He has 2,418 career rushes for 11,747 yards and 97 rushing touchdowns.

Ingram is starting his seventh season in New Orleans with 953 career rushes for 4,238 yards and 32 rushing touchdowns.

Seven other Browns joined Thomas on the sideline, including rookie tight end David Njoku (back) and rookie defensive lineman Caleb Brantley (finger).

About the Author

David has been a full-time writer with The News-Herald since 1984. He writes about news, sports and entertainment, He served as president of the Television Critics Association from 1993-95. Reach the author at dglasier@News-Herald.com
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